St. Kitts & Nevis a standard for others to emulate

Venue Development Director of ICC CWC 2007, Donald Lockerbie, has again praised the efforts of the St. Kitts & Nevis Local Organising Committee (LOC), indicating that it has set a standard for others to follow in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. Lockerbie was meeting with team leaders for the Event at the conclusion of Saturdays match between South Africa and Australia; the final CWC match at Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre.

Lockerbie urged the core group of organisers not to disband, stating they should remain the group that plans and manages future international games at Warner Park. He said this is important if St. Kitts & Nevis is to avoid having to learn the art of international event management all over again.

Lockerbie who has primary responsibility for stadium development, recalled that a few years ago, when the Federation was considering its bid for the games, he stood in the old Warner Park pavilion and listened with keen interest to local officials as they tried to share their vision of what the new venue could look like if the country was selected to host matches in the Cricket World Cup.

Back then, he said, knowing what Warner Park looked like - with no stands for spectators, no media centre, no party stand or any other trappings of an international sporting venue - some may have had difficulty sharing the vision of the local organisers headed by LOC chairman, Charles Wilkin. Lockerbie said that the inclusion of Warner Park for the six Group Stage matches is testimony that the system adopted by ICC and CWC was one of transparency that allowed St. Kitts & Nevis a fair chance of selection.

Members of the St. Kitts & Nevis LOC became event management professionals in a game, (Australia versus South Africa), that had seen the largest television audience to date in the tournament. Present at Saturdays game were ICC CEO, Malcolm Speed; Managing Director & CEO of ICC CWC 2007, Chris Dehring, and General Manager of the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), Ian Frykberg; all of whom, disclosed Lockerbie, had very positive remarks about the way in which St. Kitts & Nevis acquitted itself during the Event.

Venue Manager for Warner Park, Jeremy Evans, said the experience was a great platform on which to build for hosting future international events in the Federation.